11 Ways to Get Your Edmonton Home in Tip-Top Shape
Before Selling It!
What's the secret to getting the most out of selling your Edmonton home? It's simply increasing your property's appeal to potential buyers. By taking a few extra steps, you can add plenty of value to your home on the market.
1. Paint the Interior of Your Home
You'd be hard pressed not to find a buyer who doesn't appreciate a fresh coat of paint. Not only will it enhance your property's value on the market, but it will also help brighten up your rooms and hallways by giving them a clean, solid appearance. Try to stick to lighter, softer shades rather than going for bold or bright colours. This will help make rooms appear more spacious and comfortable.
2. Paint the Exterior of Your Home
There are few things more damaging to a home's curb appeal than peeling paint. A fresh coat of paint on the outside will make a big difference in giving the home a much newer feel. This of course all depends on the weather and time of the year, but if the weather permits, do it. Again, be more conservative and pick out light, neutral colours and stay away from bright, gaudy colours that others may not like. You'll save buyers the trouble of having to paint over it!
3. Clean up Your Clutter
First impressions are always important, especially for homes. You don't want to put potential buyers off by making your home seem chaotic. Unwanted clutter around and inside your home should be tidied up, as well as any trash lying around. Spend a few hours cleaning, raking your yard, and picking up odds-and-ends to add plenty more value to your home.
4. Minimize Your Décor
Too much decoration and even furniture can be distracting from the real features of your home during home showings. Having too much going on will make a room look and feel smaller than it actually is. Store away all the things you don't need in a safe place. By making your home more spacious and comfortable, you'll highlight the actual features of the home itself.
5. Open Your Blinds and Draperies
Once your home is ready to show, try to let as much natural light in as possible. This will brighten up a home in a way artificial light cannot and will give off a better overall feel.
6. Don't Play Music During a Showing
You'd be surprised how many people make this mistake. Resist your urge to play music in the background while potential buyers come by. This can be off-putting to some buyers and will hurt your chances.
7. Clean Your Carpets/Hardwood Floors
It's always a good idea to have your carpets cleaned or have your hardwood floors polished or waxed before the first showing. Having clean surfaces for your buyers to walk on is a noticeable thing.
8. Use/Buy New Linens and Towels for Bathrooms
This will help give an updated and clean look to a room that's generally considered the most "unkempt" in most households.
9. Consider Redoing Your Wallpaper
Like your choices for paint, try to stick to neutral themes rather than daring or peculiar designs for wallpapering. Dark colours tend to make rooms look smaller, so try to avoid prints that do so or ones that make the room look too busy. Keep it simple!
10. Hire Staging Professionals
Hiring professionals to stage your home like a well-composed showroom will definitely add to your home's appeal. Real estate firms sometimes have staging teams so you can ask your real estate agent if they can refer you.
Bonus: Price Your Home Correctly From the Start
Buyers often wrongly assume that if a home has been on the market too long, there must be something wrong with the property. Most activity on a property tends to happen during the first two or three weeks of listing it. After that, activity will begin to taper off and showings will eventually drop off. This can be avoided by properly pricing your home from the get-go and attracting a lot of buyersand a lot of showings. This will end in a quicker sale, instead of having a listing go stale and become something that potential buyers avoid.
Request a free home evaluation to find out how much your home is worth on today's market. Feel free to contact us online or call us at 780-800-9644 with any questions you may have about selling your Edmonton home.